Paul Robeson: Artist and Citizen

This work presents a kaleidoscopic portrait of Paul Robeson (1898-1976), the All-American football player, Phi Beta Kappa Rutgers College graduate, who became a world-renowned actor, singer and motion picture star, and America's first African American politically-engaged performing artist. Coming to maturity during the Harlem Renaissance, Robeson starred in Eugene O'Neill's plays, sang spirituals in concert houses throughout Europe, headlined three productions of Othello, and created enduring roles in such movies as "The Emperor Jones" (1933), "Song of Freedom" (1936) and "The Proud Valley" (1940). But Robeson was also an African American who reacted against negative representations of blacks in his films "Sanders of the River" (1935) and "Tales of Manhattan" (1942) by criticizing racism in the media and ultimately refusing to make more films. A robust political intellectual, Robeson shaped the Leftist critique of fascism, championed the rights of workers and oppressed minorities on his travels around the world, and became one of America's most outspoken critics of racism after World War II. During the Cold War his steadfast defense of the Soviet Union was seized upon by the media, the United States government and McCarthyites, unfortunately tarnishing his name and achievements. This collection of essays by some of America's most respected scholars and intellectuals - published on the centenary of his birth - is designed to remind contemporary Americans of Robeson's accomplishments and provide a fresh assessment of his contributions.